The Tale of the Tawny Owl of Apley Walled Garden

Apley Walled Garden’s Head Gardener Phil Allen went took an injured tawny owl into Apley Estate Office last week. It had been caught in a fence, so Lettie (our Assistant Land Agent) took it to the Cuan Wildlife Rescue as it couldn’t use her wing and wasn’t very responsive. Lettie had a phone call late last week to say she (it was a female owl) was much better and ready for re-release. She has now been released back into the Walled Garden. It sounds very romantic doesn’t it  – exactly like the chapter about the robin showing the door to the Secret Garden. We didn’t manage to get a photo of the moment of her release, but here are some Lettie took initially.

It’s rather late now & I’ve just popped out to put on a rug on one of our ponies & it’s a gorgeous, warm, clear starry night, after a glorious sunny Autumn day here.  Last night at about 8pm when dusk was falling, as Venetia & I were bringing in the ponies, I didn’t hear our own usual resident owls (not sure which species they are, I’m afraid), but we spotted bats swirling round near our stables. When they’re flying together, they seem much larger, but really they’re tiny (as Francis found out first hand, when one got in through his bedroom window in the summer!).